Focus match of the European Youth Championship: Italy U21 vs Romania U21, who can win the first game?

At 3 a.m. on June 12, a focus showdown will be held in the first round of the group stage of the 2025 European U21 Youth Championship, with Italy U21 meeting on a narrow road. Both teams are eager to take the lead in the first match of the European Youth Championship, and this game is full of highlights.

Historical Confrontation: Italian U21 has a slight advantage in recent years

Recalling the past confrontations between the two teams, Italy U21 defeated Romanian U21 4-2 at home in a friendly match in November 2021. In August 2014, Romanian U21 defeated Italian U21 2-1. Judging from the recent confrontation, the Italian U21 performed better and took the initiative in the psychological level, while the Romanian U21 hopes to use this battle to rewrite the history of the battle.

The team's recent situation: Italy's U21 is strong, Romania's U21 is in good shape

The Italian U21 shows his dominance in the qualifiers. Group F faces Ireland, Sweden, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other teams, winning 7 wins and 3 draws, and advanced to the main match as the top spot in the group. The offensive end has fully fired, scoring a total of 27 goals, averaging nearly 3 goals per game; the defensive end has only conceded 4 goals, which is as solid as a rock. In recent friendly matches, they both drew 2-2 with France U21 and Ukrainian U21. The players are in good condition and have a tacit understanding of each other. In this game, goalkeeper Marco Canesecchi, defender Mattia Viti, midfielder Nicollo Rovera, forward Lorenzo Cologbe and other powerful players will take the lead. However, when the front line faces intensive defense, the offense is slightly weak, and some players lack experience in the competition. The qualifiers in the

Romania U21 performed equally well, standing out in the competitive group to advance to second place in the group. In the qualifiers, the team's offense is stable and the defense is tight. In recent friendly matches, 4 wins and 2 losses, they are in good shape, especially in a 1-0 victory over Portugal U21, which has boosted morale. In the lineup, goalkeeper Stefan Tarnovanu, defender Vladimir Screciu, midfielder Alexi Pitu, forward Daniel Billigia and others are very strong. However, compared with the Italian U21, the overall strength and competition experience are slightly insufficient, and there are loopholes in defense when facing strong teams.

Tactical Analysis: Italian U21 takes the initiative to attack, Romanian U21 waits for an opportunity to counterattack

Italian U21 is expected to adopt active offensive tactics, and it is likely to be a 4-3-3 formation. He has strong ball control and organizational skills in the midfield, controls the rhythm of the game, and creates opportunities for the front line. The forward players have outstanding personal abilities and are good at grasping opportunities in front of the goal. When defending, the defense line has good coordination and effectively resists opponents' attacks.

Romanian U21 Defensive counterattack tactics may be adopted given the strength of the opponent. When defending, shrink the defense line, cut off the opponent's pass line, retreat to assist in the midfield, keep a close eye on the Italian U21 offensive core. Once you get the ball, launch a counterattack quickly and use the speed of the front line to hit the opponent's defense line. You will also pay attention to the set-piece tactics.

Result prediction: Italy U21 has a greater chance of winning

Combining the historical confrontation between the two teams, the team's recent situation, tactical style and lineup configuration, Italy U21 has obvious advantages. The qualifiers have excellent performance, stable condition, psychological advantages in past confrontations, and luxurious lineup. They are expected to control the scene in this game and threaten the opponent's goal many times. The ball possession rate is expected to reach more than 60%, with more attacks than the Romanian U21. In terms of scores, Italy U21 defeated the opponent 2-0 or 2-1. If the opening game is quickly entered, there is a high possibility of winning 2-0; if the Romanian U21 defends tenaciously, the Italian U21 may win 2-1. But football is full of uncertainty. Romanian U21 is in excellent form and tactical execution is in place, it may also cause trouble for the Italian U21 and even obtain points. What is the result of the game? Let us look forward to the performance of the two teams on the court.